Korean Napa Cabbage Perilla Soup
Quick answer
- Total time
- 34 min
- Level
- Easy
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 8
About this dish
Perilla seed powder turns the broth a pale cream color and brings a grassy, nutty smell unlike sesame oil or sesame seeds.
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The base is doenjang dissolved in rice-rinsing water rather than a fish stock. It belongs with the Korean perilla soups made from dried radish greens or mushrooms, and it comes to the table with white rice once autumn starts to turn cold.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
Separate 350 g napa cabbage into stems and leaves, rinse well, and shake off excess water.
Cut the stems into 5 cm pieces and leave the leafy parts larger so both parts soften at a similar pace.
- 2
Pour 1.2 L rice-rinse water into a pot and press 1.5 tbsp doenjang through a strainer into the liquid.
Set it over medium heat and stir until no large clumps remain before it reaches a steady boil.
- 3
When the broth boils, add the cabbage stems first and simmer over medium heat for about 8 minutes.
Add the leaves only when the stems look translucent and a chopstick or fork slides in with light resistance.
- 4
Once the leaves collapse into the broth, add 1 tbsp minced garlic and simmer for another 3 minutes.
Skim off any foam that rises so the soup tastes cleaner and the doenjang broth stays smooth.
- 5
Lower the heat to low and sprinkle in 5 tbsp ground perilla seeds a little at a time while stirring.
Do not let the soup boil hard; stir for about 5 minutes until the broth turns pale and creamy.
- 6
Add 1 sliced green onion stalk and 1 sliced Cheongyang chili, then season with 0.3 tsp salt.
Heat just until the aromatics soften slightly, turn off the heat, and serve right away while the perilla aroma is fresh.
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